Emo Mario
by LadyBow8
Summary: A dramatic rendition of a basic Mario adventure, in his 1stperson perspective. The inner thoughts and feelings of a very tortured Mario, after Peach has left him, and his relationships are falling apart. He is empty! It'sa tearin' him apart!
1. Part 1 Lonely and Broken

Emo Mario- Chapter 1

I snorted a line of cocaine last night. I just-a don't know what to do with myself anymore-a. I'm-a lonely! I'm-a feverish! It's-a tearin' me apart!

_Peach-e. She-a left me. Out in the cold. After all I've done for her! I have-a saved her life on-a many occasions! I have-a rubbed her feet in the dead of night one cold winter when I stayed at her castle. I have-a brought her the finest grapes and wine from my home-a, in Italy. I've gotten a freakin' wax so that she be comfortable when I take a shower and don't warn her to shield her eyes. I am her masseuse! I am her caterer! I am her gardener! I am her freakin' knight in freakin' shining armor! And-a what does she do for me! _

"_Oh Mario, please come to my party."_

"_Oh Mario, eat some cake and lets-a make your ass a little bigger."_

"_Oh Marioooooo you're so brave and-a handsome!"_

_She does nothing! She is a lazy bitch-e! Yet I crave for her return! I crave for the day a letter arrives on my sad and lonely porch, telling me she wants-a me back! I am used to getting nothing in return! That is how my life works! I strive over and over, protecting the weak, drop-kicking the evil, and buying the groceries for Luigi. You think a man like me has no feelings? And a-simply does what he's told?_

_I have a vast array of emotions! Of intimacy and jealousy! Of joy, and vengeance! Of passion, and sorrow! _

_Every night I'm-a being pulled further and further into a pit of darkness! I see not! I cannot feel, except for the burn that-a numbs in my heart as the days go by! I-a lay in my night-robe pondering the world I exist in, of the life I used to live, and every memory causes a sparkling-a tear to meander down my cheek. _

_I-a lock the door, and when Luigi calls for dinner or asks if I am okay, his-a voice is soft and-a sad, and lonely for the brother he once knew. I don't want to hurt him anymore. I want everybody to be happy. I want to see the toads and goombas play outside-a my window. I want to see my brother get-a married. I want the flowers to bloom, and the sky to clear, and-a the world I protect to be forever covered in-a sunshine. But they are too busy worried about me._

_And I ask you: who worries about Mario? I am a nothing. I am a lowly fool who mourns for little reason. I am a shmuck who mopes and-a complains instead of being optimistic. It is time I wither away in the Earth's gentle soil. Time I find-a my place in the Heavens. But-a nobody cares what time it is for Mario. I have to go out to battle again…and it will tear at my soul. _


	2. Part 2 Confrontation By The Fire

Emo Mario- Part 2

In the late evening, Luigi and I sat-a face to face in the study of our small house. The sky was-a dark and ominous, raining harshly against the moon-splattered windowpanes. With Luigi in his-a deep green armchair, and I in my crimson, the thunder and lighting rolled and flashed throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. The fireplace was-a crackling and-a sparkling majestically over the faded-a, shadowy room around us. He kept a keen eye on the slight fluctuations of-a my face by the flickering flame, the tips of his fingers touching each other stiffly over his knees. It was a serious yet-a very awkward. I repeatedly stroked at-a mah' mustache, but very rarely returned the stern gaze.

"You go to battle tomorrow, early in the morning, my brother." Without response, I drew up the mug to my side and-a sipped at the steaming black coffee inside. Luigi took this opportunity to take a swig at his brandy.

"Yes, I know this well-a." He spoke nothing. I could tell by the subtle movement of his bushy eyebrows that he was-a worried. "I cannot do anything-a to ail your fear."

"I know that." He cut in, very sharp-a, and-a very hastily.

"Well then let-a this end. I go tomorrow, and if it be, I-a die with honor." He rose from his-a chair and abandoned me as, again, the thunder roared like a lion. He did not-a come back. He knew of the troubles. He knew of the guilt, of my depression, of the relationship we were-a slowly losing grasp of. Those days of tennis and golf, when our troubles seemed so far away, were-a gone, and might never-a came back. He had known long that come-a the next threat of the world, I was not going to make it back. Not-a because a great warrior; a great-a fiend would surface and-a kick my sorrowful ass, but because I would-a sacrifice myself in the fire of defeat. I would-a end my life once I was sure my princess and-a my friends were-a safe from harm.

Here I was-a. Going to save Peach-e. Oh, my precious Peach-e.

No, not a precious Peach-e. A traitor Peach-e! A Peach who deserved to see what the world was like without-a me, her God of war! Yes! While I sat, staring-a lifelessly at the vacant chair glowing in the fire, a sudden enlightenment-a burst from the very crevices of my brain. I was the God of this kingdom! I was-a the mother-fucking GOD! And NOBODY was-a gonna take that away from-a me-a. Suicide was-a the choice of the weak! I was-a going to teach them all who to bow down to. I might have-a been a nothing at that time and that night, but I was-a gonna show everybody that-a the real Mario was still there, just-a hidden from the light for many years.

I rose from the chair and hesitantly reached for Luigi's brandy. I took a soar reluctant sip. I knew I needed it.


	3. Part 3 Window In the Morning Sun

Emo Mario- Part 3

Early in the morning, I-a rose my bed. Luigi slept-a soundly, and with several creaks of the bunk-bed stairs, I descended to the floor and-a slowly closed the door as he turned in his sheets and clutched tighter to his blankets in the darkness. Determined, I slipped on a pair of-a fresh overalls, and creamed my face before the dirtied bathroom mirror. A clean shave would start off my morning well. After rinsing furiously with the chilling water rolling down-a my face, my anxiety was slightly eased. My curling mustache stood at end in the piercing cold before the rising sun, but I continued on through the shadowy hallway and came to the kitchen, where I stood before the cabinets above the stove. To one side, was-a the can of coffee grains, the metal gleaming by the moon's light through the nearby windows. To the other, as if to tempt me, was a fresh newly bought bottle of vodka. I knew the decision would-a be hard.

I swiped the bottle in my hand and-a gulped with-a the fury of a wild beast. I felt exhilarated. Pumped up.

I took nothing. I lurked through the front yard under the orange glow of a new day by the tip of the horizon with-a nothing over my shoulder by the clothes on my back. I knew well that in the following days, or-a weeks, or months, my surroundings would adapt to me. I was-a Mario.

I trudged along down the street to see Peach-e. Peach-e was not kidnapped this time. Not yet anyway. It would'a be awkward. It would-a be scary. But how would I know where I was supposed to go if I did not seek assistance from the royalty? They-a knew better than I.

The toads all slept. Nobody waited in the shadows for my return to her palace. When I-a stood before the gates, they creaked as in pain while-a slowly opening, and-a my boots slapped against the stones of-a the newly crafted walkway. The entrance before me was-a towering with pride, and up high above my head-a was the shimmering stained glass window of-a the beloved Peach-e. The sun rose further as I approached- it sparkled in the morning. It was-a warm and inviting, but not-a for me.

The guards eyed me like a drunk man until they realized I was-a Mario, and the doors opened solemnly into a dark-a faded room. Only specks of the checkered floor were-a visible by the dim, old-fashioned fire chandeliers. I-a felt bulky and sickening by the sight of my magnificent surroundings. At the start of the stairs, her figure in pink silk and-a ribbon appeared delicately at the top and did not speak a word. My-a mustache trembled.


	4. Part 4 Your Destiny

Emo Mario- Part 4 "Your Destiny"

"_Mario." _She called to me-a softly. Her voice was like a pearl. Her skin was radiant. She held daintily to her dress and descended the stairs with utmost elegance. I felt-a my pulse rise while her breath-taking silhouette mercilessly approached me. "You know what you have to do." She stood before me in-a the dim light, several inches taller, probably from-a the pink heels on her small-a feet.

"Yes. But I have-a come here with reason."

"I know…" She gazed up to me with her foundation-caked beautiful face. Her eyes sparkling aquamarine-a from deep hues of navy. She knew she was pulling me in, but drew away, and held to the banister at her side. "The first place is a little town." She finally spoke. "A little simple town…but there is chaos. And the people are week. And Bowser's minions run about. They are happy to have power, even in evil. Stop them. Ask these poor pathetic souls who were tormented just what is happening. For even I don't know all of the truth."

"Peach-e. That is great information, but-a you must tell _where it is."_

"I was getting there." She commented sharply. Her sudden distress, even if-a mild, made-a me clear my throat awkwardly and-a feel guilty. The tension in her forehead eased, and she continued. "It's to the West. You must go through deep forest, and the darkness is beckoning. But there is no one there. It will be a surprise for these goons." I nodded, and she saw that-a look in my eye. The kind of look that was reserved only for special people…special women. But then I knew I must go, and quickly at that. I adjusted my red-a cap as a cue to my leave, but she did not react. I stopped, and with my attention only on-a her, she put a gloved hand on her bosom and looked away. Under these dim lights, the shadows surrounding us, I felt-a sucked in by this childish behavior.  
"What is it, Peach-e."

"Nothing." She replied quickly. "It is nothing." Her eyes sauntered across the floors, anywhere but to my mustached-a face. "Just be careful, okay? Just be careful…" She said gravely. The gentle but-a worrisome expression in her face made me want to hold her in my embrace and feel her petite body smelling of perfume against-a my shoulders.

"Don't speak such nonsense. I am always careful. What do you think has kept me alive this entire time? Everything will be alright."

"I understand…it's your destiny."

"You are right. But my destiny is not to stay here-a with you, it is to fight and protect. Goodbye, Peach-e." I left immediately, and did not look back. I had this-a feeling…this feeling inside that Peach was lonely now, and she might have regretted ending us. But this was not-a the time. This would never be the time. And whatever mistake she had made, would not-a be fixed by anyone around her. It was her mistake. Princesses…ayayay…


	5. Part 5 Fruit Gems

Emo Mario- Part 5 Fruit Gems

The sun was-a rising quickly. I knew that in-a short time it would be too late in the morning to execute the sneak-attack as planned. I hurried through pavement and-a forest, I leaped through the brush, I scurried left and right through endless-a branches in the darkness. The sun hurried steadily up the blood-red sky in a ray of-a saffron at the treetops, and by the end of dawn, I had reached this town by chance in the middle of the forest.

I cared not whose-a face my gloved fist swung to, or whose genitalia I mercilessly crushed below my steel-plated boots. It was like a strange new sensation-a came over me with the snapping of-a fingers. Of course, it was an obvious game choosing innocent from evil, but those who gave terror were-a terrorized, and those who sprinkled fear and-a despair were showered in their own blood and teeth. Koopas laid about with-a broken shells, their intestines and-a black hearts streaming together over the beautiful green-a glass by the pathways. Goombas were bruised and scattered about like slabs of-a fresh deli meat or-a hanging lifelessly from trees. This blood, this black oozing-a blood reminded me of the darkness inside, of the sadness that I could not heal.

My short, but-a manly silhouette burned before the risen sun, until-a one by one, the inhabitants of the town crept from bushes and cottages, and I heard this stirring enough to turn around. Their eyes were large and-a shining before the new light, and they followed me carefully as I, their rescuer, sauntered towards them through the disjointed and-a gored mass of bodies.

"Mario." One said softly. Another peeped-a the same. Another's face was-a blessed with a single tear. She broke-a free from her hiding and held to my hand.

"Tell me now. Please. I must know who these villains claimed-a to be."

"They are but henchman for none other than Bowser. They have come all across the land to wreak havoc and kill anyone who can tell you how to find the Fruit Gems." This new information-a made me pause suspiciously. I was-a showered with new questions.

"Fruit Gems?" I asked deeply through a low stern voice.

"Yes. They are treasures that were scattered throughout the land when he took over the alleged Sapphire Palace to gain entrance to the stars. He plans to steal the power of the Gods, Mario. The silent Gods of the stars." A small goomba fell to its knees and collapsed in relief beside-a mah' feet. This female Koopa, speaking to me her soft words, averted her eyes-a mournfully down to the Goomba, but then-a continued. "They are being protected, because with them, you have entrance to the palace, and Bowser knows you're a real battle, or worse, his final death." I gave them a cold-a revengeful stare, and then nodded solemnly to the group of survivors.


	6. Part 6 The Crash

Emo Mario- Part 6 The Crash

"I thank you." I voiced under my breath. "I will begin search of-a the Fruit Gems as soon as I can." They nodded, still with-a fear of the past in their gleaming eyes. I adjusted my cap as I had-a done at Peach's castle, and they watched as I left the way I had came, when suddenly, I turned around. "Get shelter. Find a safer place-a to stay until this madness has ended."

"We will, Mario." I nodded once more in conclusion and-a wandered back into the brush, and while my figure walked-a swift through the leaves, a foggy air crept in the opposite direction. I smelled it immediately, and-a shot back with-a fear for the village, when all around me, this black thick smoke collected. I could no longer see the others.

"Who is doing this!" I shouted. There was no reply from the others. I was alone in the starts of the forest. I swung my stocky body around in-a circles, waiting for answers from within the unknown. And while squinting my eyes and-a clenching my fists, a darker shade arose from-a the bushes, a being. "Who are you! What is going on?" I raised-a mah' voice considerably. They only came-a closer. I charged towards them in a fit of-a punches until I slammed my knuckles into a metallic suit of armor and shouted in-a pain. While I grasped to my hand and bent forward, a swift stroke slammed into the back of my head and shoulders, following was a burst of excruciating pain! I bellowed and keeled over, my life flashed before-a my very eyes! My arm, extended out to the figure. "Noooo!" I shrieked, the pain deepening. There were goose bumps all over my body, I felt the rage-a pulsing through my blood, but at that very moment, I collapsed helplessly and slowly drifted away.

I awoke what seemed like moments later in a cold sweet. But what lied before my eyes was-a not the blue lonely sky, nor the subtle sways of-a trees from the forest. Nor did I feel warm dirt underneath-a mah' fingertips. I saw a grey ceiling in the darkness, a window by the desk, and the soft feel of-a my red flannel sheets. I was-a back in my room! I shot up nervously and breathed-a heavily- I clutched the plaid cotton comforter in my stubby hands- I did not know what had come over me but my head was in pain, and my back was-a killing me! What had come of the figure! What if Luigi was hurt! I jumped up into a hostile position over the bed, still in my socks, my eyes lingering the room for shadows. Shock took over my body! "LUIGI!" I yelled desperately! Nobody answered!

It took me a while to be reassured, but I came to the conclusion that-a nobody was there. I tried to ease-a myself out of this madness. I stepped down from the bed, opened the door cautiously, and-a crept down the hallway, for I saw the bright light of the kitchen flooding over the hardwood floors. "Luigi!" I said again. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, and tried-a mah' best to enter the kitchen casually, for once I did, I felt like a fool!


	7. Part 7 Absurd Quest

Emo Mario- Part 7 Absurd Quest

Luigi was-a standing before the sink, an apron tied around his waist. He cleansed-a many pots and pans, spatulas, and spoons, and when he saw me with my mussed hair and-a prickled face; he only smiled warmly and ignored the table behind him. For as I approached it, I was met with a pleasant surprise.

Before me was a vast array of-a breakfast items. There were eggs, bacon, and sausage, sizzling in butter-splattered plates, pancakes and-a waffles, boxes of powdered sugar, syrup, rice, grits, all that I could think of. Luigi concluded this fantastic meal by sliding a mug of-a steaming black coffee across the wood table. I stared in astonishment, but stopped suddenly. Why was I back? Had I not gone to rescue the kingdom?! "Luigi." He seated himself-a calmly across the table, before a meager plate of food, but his eyes shot up to my startled face quickly.

"Yes?"

"Don't 'yes' me. Why am I here? I was-a deep in the forest, wrapping up my business at a small town, yet I've woken in my bed."

"You collapsed, Mario. They had your unconscious body sprawled out on a Koopa's couch for-a _two days_ before I found out what had happened. And now, you are here, and you shall eat breakfast!"

"But what has come of the others?"

"The villagers?" I nodded, my arms-a fully extended over the tabletop.

"They're alright." I leaned back in my seat after hearing this news. "Many were killed, but all that you rescued days ago are fine, and-a told me to wish you well." I felt reassured. I stared down to my plate, and then scooped various-a things left and right, thankful for the steaming rich feast before my eyes. I ate without pause, I slurped, and-a chewed, and-a scarfed down the sausage like a starving ox. I was very thankful of my brother.

When my lips finally parted from my fork, I fell back in the chair and held gravely to my rounded-a belly: it nearly bursted out of my jumper. Luigi had picked carefully at scrambled eggs, and drank-a hesitantly to his cranberry juice, but when I had finished, he mirrored me, and we both eased back in our chairs. "Thank you, brother." I said to him.

"It was the least I could do. You had starved. You were-a feeble. This mission will be difficult…maybe more than any you have-a ever took on. Tell me. What do you remember before you blacked out?" I swallowed sourly, and wiped my mouth conservatively with the cloth napkin over my lap.

"I remember very little. I was-a talking with these people, when the whole village was engulfed in-a smoke, and a figure came before me. I punched and-a kicked blindly until I felt a blow to my head and back…and that was the end."

"Mario, it is dangerous!"

"It was nothing. They caught me off guard, is all. I'm returning today."

"Mario, no!" He rose from the table and threw up his arms. I did the same, hearing the squeak of-a the sliding chair over the linoleum.

"You are not my mother! Mother is not even here!"

"I worry for you!" Luigi exclaimed desperately. "Please-eh. Let-a me come with you!-"

"No! This is my responsibility!"

"Why can I never accompany you?! I am _strong!_ I train day and night to fight by your-a side and every time-"

"We've shared this argument over and over again, Luigi! I am through!"

"Rompo il mio asino, lavoro ogni giorno e lo curate come un prigioniero…-"  
"Luigi!" He circled around the table in a bout of anger and a string of Italian rage. I held my arms out to stop him at the shoulder, but he swung his hands out to block me and-a paced several times by the door.  
"Siete merciless! Un uomo merciless! E morirete da solo se non interrompete questa assurdità!" He trailed on throughout the house and-a slammed the bedroom door.  
"Ayayay…" I muttered to myself.


	8. Part 8 Memories Revived

Emo Mario- Part 8 Memories Revived

I was beginning to get-a very annoyed with Luigi's behavior. He often told me that-a keeping a man from his destiny was like killing him, stabbing him deep in the heart.

It is not that I feel no regret for holding him back, for I knew he was-a strong. I knew he worked-a hard in every aspect of his life, and simply wanted to tag along with his older brother and learn about the world around him. But I just… I couldn't. This was _my_ destiny. This was-a mah' life! I had to be alone. Each new adventure was a spiritual experience for me. I learned not only about others, but greatly about myself. I fought, and-a slayed, and then lay under the moonlight wondering over and over again if I had eliminated the right people. If I had done the right thing. All these years, the joy of battle and justice is what kept-a me alive, gave me a place under the stars, and with Luigi, I could not have those moments alone, or that time to think. And because it can only be understood by me alone, I do not tell him these-a petty emotional things that I feel are the reasons he cannot come. Stupid Mario, I was… I let him suffer; he never knew why I didn't want him around. He probably thought I hated him.

I put in Heterosexual Otter's newest c.d. and waited alone in the living room. I closed my eyes, and listened intently to the lyrics. _Of blood that's yours, of blood that's mine, I tell you you're lucky, but I'm not that kind. Of egos and ravens, and love so divine, I wait day after day, and still no sunshine._

Just then, Luigi emerged from the hallway, his face was-a red from tears. He sat down nervously, and I knew he had something to say. I turned off the music quickly, and my eyes wandered across his sorrow laden-a face. "Mario, I'm sorry." He spoke these words, but they hurt. For he had no reason to be sorry. "Mario, I am so sorry. You are probably going through so much stress. And here I am, adding mercilessly on to it, caring nothing for my only brother who holds the whole world on his shoulders. I will never storm away again. I have sat in that room for a while now. And I have-a decided to leave this grief behind me, and try to accept the fact that we will never-a battle together." I felt crushed inside, to hear him apologizing to _me_. I should've been down on my knees. He thought _I _held the world on my shoulders? Well without him I would-a be nothing! For he holds everything else! The entire rest of the universe! I felt my eyes-a filling with tears.

"Luigi, I'm-a so sorry I've pained you. But saving the world is my own thing that I need to grow as a person. We must stop this fighting, and become closer again." The moment I said this, his eyes lighted up from the remains of his tears.

"Mario! Are you back?"

"Yes, I am right here, Luigi!"

"I am so happy!" He leaped from the end of the couch, and we locked our arms into an embrace. "I have missed our times!"

"Me too!" I shouted uncontrollably. I did not care how pathetic I sounded! "Come! We fix this right now! Let us smoke from the hooka!" He nodded as another tear streamed down his cheek.


	9. Part 9 The Stories in Eyes

Emo Mario- Part 9 The Stories in Eyes

Luigi and I puffed-a soundly at the hooka on the back porch by the new sunlight. I had delayed my quest. Mainly because I still hadn't a clue where I was going: where I was supposed to be looking for these alleged Fruit Gems. And yes, it is true; I wanted to spend a long heart-felt day picking up where I left off with-a Luigi.

He was content for once. His eyes were not lingering with worry or-a sadness- and come to think of it, neither were mine. "Luigi. I've felt so lost since Peach left me." He had closed his eyes while a warm breeze brushed over his-a face, but they cracked silently open.

"I've noticed." At that, he sat up in the patio chair and eyed-a me intently, his elbow over the table, his brow soft, but his eyes stern. "Do you want me to tell you something I've been too afraid to say?" The comment struck me confused…yes, confused, again. I nodded, waiting anxiously for his reply. "Peach has also been-a very lonely since the two of you split."

"What? What has she said?-"

"She's said nothing." He quickly added. "But I've found myself noticing a very solemn look in her eyes, in her figure, the way it walks…Mario, it does not take a man very much to see when a woman-a craves. She is lonely for _you_." These things that he told-a me so easily, I felt burning into my body- there was a blood-curdling ache at the pit of-a my heart. I mourned so deeply for our abandoned love, and hearing she had missed me gave-a me goose bumps. That warm gentle wind suddenly became cold.

"But it is too late!" I spoke desperately. "That argument we had. That long-a painful argument into the dead of night. She was right. I am too busy for her. I am so in love I forget to do anything else but cater to her every whim. She tells me my personality is-a _weak_! She shouted to me with-a great fury! I have never before heard her soft voice reach such heights!"

"It is true that you have had your share of problems. That is the case for-a everybody else, Mario! Don't let such trivial-a struggles shatter the best gift you will ever have!" Again, he gave me this painful-a look in his blue-grey eyes, the look that meant he knew, and I knew as well. The wind blew gently again, sweeping through his short hair, and sending a streak of silken-a smoke from his cracked mouth.

"You're right. I've got to make amends. I will do it immediately!" I rose from the chair in a fit of determination, but he scurried behind me.

"Mario, wait!" This talk was-a now unnecessary. I swerved around impatiently. "You are always-a doing this, Mario. You have no tact! Come back here." He slapped his gloved hand on-a mah' shoulder and urged me back up the few wood steps that led back to the backyard. "Mario." He paused, shifted-a weight between legs, and then leaned in close to me. "You must woo her. You must-a prove to her, that no problem in the _entire world_ cannot be overcome." While he spoke, his rose his arm and slid it across the sky. "Come. I teach you."


	10. Part 10 Negotiations Begin

Emo Mario- Part 10 Negotiations Begin

After some preparation, Luigi and I decided to go for a drive-a to loosen up. He steered with one arm, the other hanging-a casually out the window as a stream from his cigarette left a trail behind the car. We blasted Original Robot Depression in the car and-a followed a winding road, sometimes clear road, and other times, through thick greenery.

We arrived at a town-a quite familiar to me, it was-a Rogueport. He stopped the red truck for a small period of time for gas, when I spotted a bar a few buildings down and we decided to stop for a drink.

It was-a lively and full of laughter when we came inside. There were small circular tables and stools spread about, the newest Keno game was-a playing on the TV at the end of the bar, and many-a lanterns gave an orange glow to the atmosphere. Without a word, the two of us headed off to a table and waited anxiously for a waitress, when a face I knew quite-a well turned swiftly around in his seat from across the bar and signaled for us to meet up with him. I coughed to Luigi under my breath and we inched towards his table.

It was Captain Flavio. Luigi, I could tell, had never-a seen this man before, but the two of us sat down as Flavio lifted a pale hand into the air. "Waiter! Get my two great friends some beer, will you?" Our eyes-a strayed off to the side as a man in an apron nodded reluctantly to the captain and-a scurried off behind the counter.

Flavio was-a voluptuous in size. Not an ice cream truck, but surely with some extra baggage. Stocky, yes, stocky is a good word. Flavio was thick at the torso and waist, but kept-a straight posture and a smug look across his plump face. He turned to me dramatically.

"'Ello, Mario." He said to me. Suddenly, two large beer mugs landed firmly before Luigi and I, foam streaming down the sides. I eyed it with surprise, but remembered Flavio waiting-a patiently for my reply.

"Good afternoon." I said. He eyed me up and down, keeping the lax expression of amusement across his face.

"What brings you back to Rogueport?" He finally voiced, sipping daintily to his coffee.

"Luigi and I are having a day on the town." I averted my eyes over to Luigi who nodded with his face turned in to his mug. Flavio leaned back in his chair, his red vintage-a coat falling to his sides and revealing a round-a belly similar to mine under a white flannel shirt and suspenders.

"Good, good." He waved his hand like-a royalty to the air. "Any new adventures?" He asked suddenly.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. He was known for using me. Friendly guy, but-a very shameless opportunist. He sensed my hostility, and bent back forward over the table.

"Lets say I…have a proposal." We squinted our eyes daringly, my blue burning into his gaze, and his green, greedily accepting it with confidence.


	11. Part 11 Negotiations Continue

Emo Mario- Part 11 Negotiations Continue

"Peach-e. It's me." I said to her on the message. "Listen. I know we don't-a talk much anymore, but…I have a question to ask you. I am leaving soon. It would-a give me some great peace to see you again before I am gone. If you're there at all, and-a listening to this message, please hear my words. The end of this relationship should not-a hurt our friendship- our bond that we have had for years. I know you haven't forgotten it. I would like to invite you to dinner with some of my close-a friends tomorrow evening. I can pick you up around seven thirty. Please, please return this message, and say you will come." I hung up the phone with a face as if I had eaten something raw and-a distasteful. I pondered over and over again if the words I had spoken were-a just right…for Peach-e. Luigi told me it was fine, and we were to have a great night laughing and-a reminiscing in our old ways. He patted me on the back and smiled proudly, but I could not stop thinking about how it was over. It was like a flower- the most beautiful flower in Luigi's garden. It had bloomed-a so elegantly, and protruded towards the sky for-a many many years, splashing in sunlight and sparkling-a like a summer jewel, and now…now it had faded and withered, curled up into the soil, but never disappeared. It always lay silently to remind me what I had once had.

Toadsworth, not Peach, had returned my call a few hours later. He told me Peach would be ready the next day, and my heart-a soared. I told him to thank her a million times. He didn't seem to know how much it-a meant to me, but explained that he was-a very busy in the royal office and hurried the farewells.

You probably wonder why I speak of these arrangements, and not what had happened with Flavio earlier that day. Well, he had less time than he thought. A call arrived from the docks, and he was to be setting sail in two to three days, and would need to start-a preparation immediately. He chugged down his beer, gave me a smirk, as well as his business card, and suggested a night out to dinner to further discuss-a the matters once every thing was in order. If everything would go well, he would board me on his ship free of charge.

That following night, I was to do something out of my character- to make negotiations, and to woo Peach all at once. With both parties available this night, and it being my near-last, Luigi told me it was-a the only way to leave Rogueport with peaceful conclusion. I had to bring Peach back to me- even if little by little. Perhaps this night would remind-a her…what it could be again if she just opened her heart. Flavio, I cared little for.


	12. Part 12 Awkward Silence

Emo Mario- Part 12 Awkward Silence

While Luigi did a quick-a shave before the running water of the sink, I paced in the hallway outside the bathroom, repeatedly adjusting and tightening my necktie. It never fit just right. "Mario." Luigi spoke after stroking the razor over his chin. "Stop this pacing. Come here." My eyes dropped to the floor, and I approached him nervously. By instinct, I snatched the comb over the counter and repeatedly ran it through my already slicked-a hair. "It looks fine, Mario." He splashed his face and dried it quickly, pulling the comb out of-a mah' grasp and straightening out his mustache with it. He then led me towards the door, while we quickly put on our suit-jackets. Luigi grabbed-a the keys, and we left by 7:25.

We pulled up near the gates of the castle, where I got out, showed the guards my identification card, and took a long-a careful walk down the same pathway to the colossal doors. My eyes wondered up to the sky- where clouds were slowly sweeping in- it was-a becoming dark rather quickly. When I reached the doors, they opened before I could knock, and Toadsworth slowly stepped out onto the porch-a with Peach on his arm. Her eyes-a flickered from her shoes that slipped in and out from under her dress. When they finally locked on me, she seemed secretly delighted.

The wind made her long coat-a sway back and forth as she walked, still on Toadsworth's arm. We reached the car in a bit of a confusion, but Luigi winked and lifted a hand from-a the steering wheel to signal the backseat, where I lead Peach, myself following. Toadsworth awkwardly took the front. I noticed that as the car pulled away from her castle, she kept a steady gaze outside-a the window. I decided to do the same.

As the drive continued, rain began to mist over the windows. When we reached the parking lot, I caught a glimpse of-a Peach-e, eying some damp trees in the distance.

The restaurant was-a homely and small, a few bushes lining the outside, and a wooden sign that red "Tomato Garden". After much convincing, I gathered the nerve to hold my coat over Peach's-a delicate shoulders to keep her warm in the unexpected rain. The group, Peach, Luigi, Toadsworth, and-a myself, ascended the stairs to a set of-a pillars over a wood porch, and gold-handled doors that led inside. Through stained glass windows, a welcoming light flushed into the dim-a hues of a navy on the porch. I reached for the door, as did Luigi, and the others walked past us. The woman at the front desk lead us to a reserved-a table, where from the front of the restaurant, I saw Flavio's giant feathered hat sprouting from a booth.


	13. Part 13 Clashing Agendas

Emo Mario- Part 13 Clashing Agendas

Things were-a very tense at the table. I felt a bit remorseful trying to hit-a two birds with one stone, but it was the only way to conclude-a my business in Rogueport for the adventure. I sat at one end, with Flavio at the other, his daring eyes locking on my face. I tried to admire Peach as she gracefully eyed the menu, even to send a few glances of question to Luigi, but-a my eyes continued to flicker back to him. He knew of my dilemma.

I dropped my face back down to my menu, and-a skimmed uncomfortably for something to settle myself with. It wasn't until a few minutes later that-a Flavio cleared his throat abruptly, breaking me out of my concentration. "Shall we call the waiter now?" The other table members turned to each other in question, my eyes darting automatically to Peach-e. They met hers for an instant, until she turned a cheek-a daintily to the left and nodded to Flavio. The rest uttered small sounds of agreement. Flavio then leaned back in his chair, held his arm out, and shot a few-a beckoning gestures to a waiter unloading some glasses from a tray. He immediately came to the table, and-a slipped out a notepad from his back pocket.

"Yes?" He asked. Flavio looked about ready to begin-a himself, but noticed Peach sitting quietly to my adjacent.

"Uhhh, let the lady order first." Peach's eyes quickly turned to Flavio and the waiter, her hand landing over her chest.

"M-me? I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet." She flickered her eyelashes a bit and returned to the menu. The waiter's eyes shifted to me.

"I will get-a the meaty ravioli with oregano marinara."

"That meal comes with a choice of bread and salad."

"Garlic, and ranch, thank you." The waiter nodded and-a quickly scribbled it on his notepad, then turned to Toadsworth. But from there I could no longer hear the orders. When I peered from over my drink as I sipped casually, I noticed Peach was-a staring at me. Her eyes were large and curious, blue as the ocean, and I could not turn away. It was-a like she was feeding on my soul, draining it away like a toilet just newly repaired. A million thoughts swirled in my head, so much that I could not take-a this burning gaze any longer, but then it faded away. She brushed some golden hair behind her ear with a gloved hand, and-a Flavio took her away from me.

"Princess Peach, is it? What brings you here with Mario tonight?" She seemed…a little taken aback. I almost wanted to rise from the table and stop Flavio from saying something wrong.

"…Mario invited me."

"No arrangement?"

"I don't know what you mean…" Suddenly, Luigi rose from the table and-a swiftly met my end. He leaned forward and-a whispered for me to come with him. Reluctantly, I eased myself from my seat, and followed Luigi, and we meandered through the tables until he stopped in a small hall leading to the restrooms, hiding near the ends of the stout walls.

"Luigi, why did you bring me here-a?! They are having an important-a conversation that I might have to straighten out!"

"Mario, this is not the time to worry about that."

"This is the perfect time!" I peered out from the wall and searched for them in the sea of-a tables until he snatched me by the tie and swung me back in.

"Mario, you have-a not shown Peach any sign that you are interested in her again."

"I am situating-"

"I see you over there at the other end of-a the table! You give her cold glances and fidget under the table. You should-a be ashamed of yourself-a!"

"You brought-a me here just to complain about this?!"

"Mario. I want you to hold her hand."

"Are you _crazy_?!"

"She lays it vulnerably over the table-cloth-a to you, Mario. Learn to read a woman's physical language!"

"I-I didn't notice."

"No wonder she left you, Mario! You treat her like a foreign being! She is not from-a outer space! She is the woman you love!

"You are crazy! I accepted your advice, now stop-a tangling yourself in other people's business!" I slipped out of the hall and hurried back to the table, Luigi trailing behind-a me, but as soon as I saw Peach, she was-a standing up next to her seat with her purse under her arm, and her hands clenched together tightly.


	14. Part 14 Blank

Emo Mario- Part 14 Blank

Things were-a slipping out of my grasp faster than I could manage. She briskly departed the table and headed for the doors to the restaurant. I stood with my mouth-a gaping like an idiot's, darting eyes between Flavio and Luigi, and her long golden-a hair, swishing at her waist as Toadsworth escorted her in confusion. I hadn't the heart to follow her; to chase her like-a she was a hunted animal. I just kept waiting for her to turn around and tell me she was-a kidding. To run in slow motion and wrap her arms around-a my shoulders. To tell me she had been wrong all along, and came to dinner because she loved-a me so much! It did not happen.

The doors closed. Flavio eased his posture and drummed his fingers over the table. "What a bitch." He uttered. My brow grew furiously, and before I knew it, I was-a holding him by the throat, lifting his fat, disgusting body up from the chair with-a super-human strength.

"Brother, stop!" Luigi shouted. His calls seemed to be miles and miles away, echoing in my subconscious, but so pathetic, they had no effect on my slowly curling-a fingers. I felt my arms being restrained, and somehow succumbed, and looked around-a me. At first I realized I was in the company of several waiters, then I looked down to Flavio. His face was wide-eyed, like a baby's, with stubby hands-a clutching to his neck. With labor, he let out-a many raspy breaths, then stood up from the table and ripped the fabric-a napkin out of his collar.

"Brother!"

"_Youuu_-" Flavio began. "You'll never get _near_ my ship, you-,you-! Flavio does not need this!" He jerked his head indignantly and-a shook his purple curls, then marched away from the table as well. Luigi and I stood emotionlessly by the table, the waiters still-a crowding about us. I didn't know what had come over me. One minute we were at dinner, and the next, there was-a nothing.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're going to have to leave." Some unknown voice spoke. I felt arms guiding me towards the doors, and before I knew it, I was outside with Luigi, alone. He didn't speak to me for a while, as we turned our faces up-a to the moon. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Mario. What happened?"

"I…I don't know."

"But…But-a Peach-e."

"-I don't know!" He gulped in defeat and lowered his head.

"Come now. We'll go home."

We got in the car and returned. Luigi turned on the radio to ease-a the thick tension. I watched the same shrubbery I had-a seen on the way there, with Peach, and-a went to bed with open eyes in the darkness.


	15. Part 15 The Letter

EMO MARIO: Part 15: The Letter

The following day was like a haze of grays and-a muted blues. I stayed in bed well into the afternoon, until Luigi insisted I have-a something to eat. "Mario, you can't do this to yourself. You need-a to be strong for your mission, for all of these-a people!" He whined. And I knew he was right.

I forced myself to down a few bowls of cereal. All the while, Luigi sat across from me, solemnly watching the movement of my spoon. There was a very prominent silence between us that made my appetite shrink even further. When the last frosted mini-wheat was-a missing from my bowl, I dropped the spoon and leaned back in the chair. I said-a to him…I said to him-a very softly… "Why-a Peach-e hate me so much-e?!" He immediately rose from the table.

"She doesn't hate you! She is confused! That Flavio!"

"He is a _pig_!"

"Mario! Stop it!" I paused and eyed him in confusion. "Now sit!" I hadn't remembered standing up, but I lowered myself to the chair again, gazing down to my lap. "…Flavio did not know any better. I saw him, Mario. He was-a very confused…It was all a misunderstanding. You have done nothing wrong. Peach-e…she is scared. Scared to start this again-e… And women…they are so emotional…" Luigi brought his fingertips to his eye-sockets and lowered his face.

"Maybe you are right." Just then, there was a knock on the door. The energy between Luigi and I, started by this discussion, quickly faded, and I went to answer it.

It was-a nobody but the mailman. I had received a very peculiar letter. It was from a woman…a woman named…Mrs. Purple. She told-a me that I could find a fruit gem in a very secluded-a place in a faraway town, and that she would meet me there. It seemed rather suspicious, but seeing as I had no other plans, I decided to head out.

I informed Luigi shortly after. We dropped the subject. He knew what I had to do. So I took-a some money from my desk drawer after deciding I probably needed it, and I left that evening.

The town was called Cobbleway. I found it to be a very strange name, but I was-a used to things being strange. I took a taxi down the main marketing plaza and beyond, following the directions "Mrs. Purple" had-a sealed with the letter, but couldn't help but stare out the window, eyeing the blurs of scenery as they passed-a me by. Thinking only, of Peach-e. Truthfully, I had never been out saving the world without her loving support for me. It felt so empty, so raw and-a bare inside, like I was-a hollow, filled with air cold as ice.

The taxi-driver pulled up to a parking lot by the edges of the water. He told-a me this was as far as he could go to the alleged "Cobbleway".


	16. Part 16 A Sky's Reflection

EMO MARIO: Part 16 – A Sky's Reflection

The remaining distance between there and Cobbleway was a vast green lake, glistening in dawn's colors and stretching to the very edges of my vision. There was a little-a ferry station by the water, sitting soundly among tall grass and reeds. I instinctively approached the man at the gate and he seemed-a to recognize me. "Hello Mr. Mario. Are you interested in taking the ferry? It will be leaving in a half hour or so."

"Where does it lead?"

"It goes down a string of docks and then returns. It passes through Caneridge, Tilwakee, Pollenway, Cobbleway, Tip Town, and Rutmore."

"Alright. I will wait then." He nodded, and led me in to the small station by the ferry, then treated me to a beer and carried on in silence for the rest of the wait. He must have-a seen that I was-a rather pensive. I boarded with several other pedestrians, and they loaded a few cars, then we were off in little time.

I found myself-a strolling the deck, watching my shadow. Folding my arms behind my back and squinting into the horizon. The strip of land where they would soon unload seemed a whole ocean away. The sun retired behind the treetops, casting a golden-a glow over the ripples of the lake. For once, I felt a little at peace as the ferry glided over the water.

I could tell by the warm subtle-a breezes working through my hair, and the crickets calling from the brush in the distance, that summer was on its way. Flashes of the unexpected-a showers the previous night disturbed my thought. That humid…suspenseful atmosphere in the rain that surrounded Peach and I. Dew dripping from exotic plants on shores as we passed them by. My love for her was uncivilized: an enigma, like-a the depths of the jungle. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster, just by this simple thought of-a the rain, of this love I had carried all throughout-a mah' life for but one woman. I saw her face burning in the orange sky. The sun's rays pierced the air so vibrantly, it was like it was-a bleeding for us. Before I knew it, I had these thoughts…these thoughts of-a settling down. I shook them out immediately. Sometimes…if I dove too deep in these-a feelings, I would forget what I was doing and who I was. I would simply feel…simply feel like a useless body; a vessel that was-a wandering further and further away from the truth.

I wandered back inside, away from that burning passion-fruit-a sky and focused only on the meager shape of the captain with his back turned. Strong shoulders guiding the ferry to the unknown. Then realized what I had to do when I got to Cobbleway. I would check in to a hotel and-a leave my clothes on the floor. Take a long hot-a shower and forget where I had been and seen and done all the way up to then. I'd get a sandwich and some chardonnay as a late dinner, then I'd write a letter to send to Peach the following morning. Hopefully that night, I could sleep well.


	17. Part 17 Vulnerable Feelings

EMO MARIO: Part 17 – Vulnerable Feelings

Crazy town this must have been. Very quiet….beautiful…but the people seemed-a worried about me, even though I hadn't know them and they hadn't known me. My trip to a drug-store for the chardonnay was-a very awkward when I caught the woman working the cash register eying what I had purchased strangely, and staring at me through the window as I left. The hotel staff weren't too different. They seemed-a troubled that I had picked their very own place of work to reside for the time being. I didn't blame them for worrying. Masked figures and explosions usually followed me wherever I went, when-a the kingdom was in peril.

The next morning, I scratched my chest and the stubble growing on my chin and sat up, then went to the sink to splash my face. A complimentary razor and some soap and-a shaving cream were sitting on the counter, so I took use of them.

When I returned to the bedroom with a towel draped around my neck, I gazed at the letter to Peach-e, sitting at the desk by the closet. I took a moment to reminisce in the thoughts and feelings-a flowing through me that night. I had written to Peach with a tear in my eye. But I was too afraid to read it again. Too afraid that I would regret writing the truth, and revise it so drastically that the real meaning would-a fade. I knew that it had-a to be just the way the words had poured-a from my very soul that night. It had to be just that way when she read it. And so, I slipped into my overalls again, took a glance at myself in the mirror and-a twitched my mustache, then left the room and headed out to find the post office.

When I reached one at the end of town, I asked a-mah-self over and over again if this was the right decision, clutching to the letter nervously… I asked myself, how she would-a even respond to this. Would she break-a my heart? Would she tell me she had seen my better days and I just simply wasn't enough? Was she furious with me for what had happened with Flavio at-a dinner? Most definitely. I couldn't forgive myself for that. Then I asked myself, if she was-a so angered by me, would she even take the time to write back? I didn't know…I didn't know where she would-a deliver it to, either. Soon enough, I knew I'd be leaving this town again. I was-a always on the go.

…I felt the letter slip between-a my fingers into the mail slot, as I decided that I would-a stay here as long as it took to get a response, even if it put my further mission on hold. I loved-a Peach so much. I could feel the tears swelling again at my eye, but looked away from the counter, curtly waved-a to the koopa behind the desk, and left the post office with utmost determination to do what I came there to do.


End file.
